


The Scent of Rain

by ghikij



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: And Aya's moods affecting the weather as usual, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 12:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17918819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghikij/pseuds/ghikij
Summary: Aya finds herself stuck with Hina at a bus stop after a tough day at work. There are just some things that she will never understand about her friend but she finds that that is perfectly fine.More than fine, actually, because Hina can be such a sunshine in the rain.





	The Scent of Rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [athyra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/athyra/gifts).



> Once again, this is un-beta'd. So please bear with me. 
> 
> Also, Happy Birthday athyra! This is far from the quality of writing I churned out years ago but I hope you still enjoy it.

Aya wondered why it always rained whenever there was drama in her life.

Then again, there was almost always drama, wasn’t there? Being in the entertainment industry did that to anyone, even a tiny star like her who was still trying to find her shine. She had messed up again and bit her tongue during a commercial recording. And because of her inability to speak eloquently when it actually counted, the recording staff had to retake her part several times, wasting precious minutes and testing thin tempers. Thankfully, she was the last one to go so when Chisato announced that she had to be somewhere else, it wasn’t as painful to watch her go. It would have been torture if she had forced the blonde to wait because of her ineptitude. She definitely didn’t want to be a bother, especially to Chisato who she admired so much.

The rest of Pastel*Palettes were patient with her though and they waited for the whole affair to be over before they gave her further encouragements. Aya was forever thankful that Maya and Eve were such wonderful people. She couldn’t have hoped for better bandmates and friends. Still, she wished she could be better and be the stellar example that she had always aspired to be.

“It’s really coming down isn’t it, Aya-chan?” The final member of her pop idol band whistled thoughtfully as they shared the shelter of a bus stop. “It’s like the sky knows you’re down. Isn’t that boppin’?”

Hikawa Hina flashed that megawatt grin at her, almost causing Aya to shield her eyes. She really didn’t know how the other girl could remain so upbeat all the time but most days she appreciated Hina’s optimism even when it was misplaced.

Like today.

“I really should talk slower,” Aya pouted, recalling her earlier mishaps.

“Hmm~ yeah I think that would help. You get too excited sometimes, Aya-chan, but that’s because you’re you and you wouldn’t be very Aya-chan if you don’t mess up at least once!”

Aya sighed. She really should’ve known better than to expect any serious advice from the guitarist.

“Mou…”

“Hehe, even your pouting is cute~”

Aya looked up at her companion, “What are you doing here anyway, Hina-chan? Don’t you usually take the bus at the other stop?”

Hina’s smile dimmed a few kilowatts but her eyes took on a kinder, warmer gleam. “I do! But I don’t have to go home any time soon and I thought it’ll be interesting to go with you.”

“I really don’t understand you sometimes,” Aya giggled fondly despite her earlier depression. “I doubt there will be anything interesting happening in this rain.”

“Hmm…I don’t know about that. It feels like the most interesting stuff happens to Aya-chan when it’s raining.”

Oh, so she noticed too, huh?

“I thought you’d be crying by now actually,” Hina added as she tilted her head like a curious cat. “I mean, you did mess up a lot earlier.”

Aya winced and resumed her pouting, “You don’t have to remind me.”

“But I’m glad you aren’t crying!” Hina declared and threw her arms around the pink-haired girl’s shoulder from behind. “A crying Aya-chan isn’t as zappin’ as a flustered one or a clumsy one. Those are the cutest!”

“Hina-chan!” Aya exclaimed in mild embarrassment. Although, she supposed that this was Hina’s way of cheering her up somehow. The other girl’s ways were mysterious at best and downright baffling at worst, but Hina had a kind heart even when her words were sharp and blunt to a fault. Sayo, Hina’s twin sister, implied as much during those rare occurrences that she and Aya had spoken. Implied was a vast exaggeration though since Sayo was as quiet as Hina was talkative.

“Ne, isn’t your house not too far away from here?” The other girl asked and Aya was quick to respond that, yes, her house was only a few blocks away. Hina usually took a bus after their shared train ride to get home from the station while Aya was lucky enough to live nearby. The only reason why she was still stuck here was because she had forgotten her umbrella at the agency due to her wandering thoughts.

“It doesn’t seem like the rain is letting up,” Hina pursed her lips as she looked up at the sky still perched over Aya’s shoulder. “Aya-chan, let’s go and run for it!”

“Eh? What? Wait! Hiiina-chaaan!”

Before she knew it, Aya was sprinting down the sidewalk towards the direction of her home dragged along by Hina and her spontaneity. She almost slipped and slid at least twice during the whole ordeal as she was terribly unprepared for how fast Hina could run. All the while, her companion seemed to be having the time of her life, laughing and hollering under the torrential downpour.

By the time they collapsed in front of Aya’s door, they were soaked through and dripping wet.

To think, she wanted to wait out the rain so she could actually get warm and dry.

She admonished the minty-haired girl, who only grinned and chuckled at her. “You’ve never let the rain stop you before, Aya-chan, why start now?”

“I didn’t want my shoes to get wet!”

“But wasn’t it boppin’?”

That had Aya pause from wringing water off her drenched skirt. She still didn’t know what “boppin’” could possibly mean if she were being honest, but it was rather hard to stay mad at Hina when she smiled so sincerely like that. If the other girl meant that it was fun, then no, it wasn’t. However, after the exertion and exhilaration of the sprint, Aya indeed felt a little lighter. Maybe it was just the adrenaline or endorphins produced by the sudden exercise but she couldn’t deny that she was feeling less sad now.

After giving it a moment of thought, Aya smiled and nodded. “I guess, you’re right.”

“Hee hee!”

Aya’s mother found them by the front door not too long afterwards, horrified that they were both wet and shivering like strays out by the steps. Before Aya could reassure her mom that their dash was a calculated risk—that it was faster and better to get home like this instead of waiting for who knows how long by the station—they were ushered inside, stripped of their shoes and had towels thrown over their heads.

“Get in the bath now,” her mom urged. “You’re lucky you are in such robust health otherwise all these adventures under the rain that you’ve been fond of doing lately would get you sick.”

“I know, I know…” Aya smiled apologetically at her caring mother as she wiped her face with the towel, “And we will, I promise.”

Her mom kissed her forehead, “I’ll have some warm milk for you girls when you’re done. Go. You too Hina-chan.”

“Hai~”

After her mother disappeared into the kitchen, Aya faced her friend who was all but nuzzling the fluffy towel loaned to her. “Do you want to go first, Hina-chan?”

Hina tapped her lips with a finger in thought, “Why don’t we go in together? Won’t that be more efficient?”

She and Hina, in a bath together… naked? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time but then, the rest of Pastel*Palettes was there and they were in a hot spring resort as a reward incentive from the agency after a big success. That was different wasn’t it? They weren’t cramped together in a tiny space and the steam from the springs kept everything quite blurry. On the other hand, in her home’s bathroom everything would be visible wouldn’t it?

Aya blushed at the thought of the possibilities. “I-I don’t mind waiting. You can go o-on ahead, Hina-chan.”

Hina leaned forward to peer at her reddened face, “But you might catch a cold and c’mon~ I’ve seen it all before~”

Aya squeaked and hid her face with her hands, “Now that’s a lie! It was all steamy and I definitely didn’t see anything.”

Hina grinned like a Cheshire cat, “I did~ but that’s okay. I didn’t see anything impressive. C’mon, Aya-chan!”

Just like from the station, Aya found herself pulled by Hina into the bathroom with barely a chance to drop her bag on the floor. A part of her thought that Hina would literally strip and throw her in the tub or something, but the other girl just hummed happily as she turned on the hot water for the tub.

“Hm? What are you waiting for, Aya-chan?” The girl asked in a sing-song voice and began to loosen her necktie and unbutton her white undershirt.

Aya blushed. “Nothing! I um… nothing.” Why was she standing there then, frozen like a fool and watching her friend undress with such interest? Was she that absentminded? She reprimanded herself and pulled at her uniform’s red ribbon. “You can just put your wet clothes by the door, Hina-chan. We can wash it when we’re done.”

“’kay~”

Soon, the bathroom was filled with steam which warmed her chilled body. And when perfectly heated water ran through her soaked hair, Aya couldn’t help but coo in satisfaction. Hina too expressed her pleasure with happy little sounds that Aya thought was adorable. The scent of shampoo further calmed her and by the time she was soaping herself, she certainly felt like a new person.

“This is just boppin’~” Hina purred as she sank into the tub after cleaning herself up.

“Isn’t it?”

“Yep! Come join me, Aya-chan!”

Aya blinked at her friend as she rinsed one soap and started to lather her favorite scented body wash. “In the tub?”

“Yeah!”

“I don’t think we can fit…” was what she said but in truth, Aya didn’t really want to bathe in such close quarters with Hina. She had purposely avoided even glancing her direction since their clothes have hit the floor in case Hina saw that as some sort of breach in privacy. Then again, would the other girl even insist they bathed together if she cared about that?

“Sure we can!”

Aya dared to look at Hina’s direction knowing that the other girl would probably be shoulder deep in water. And indeed she was, grinning there as she playfully splashed about with her hair sticking to her face and neck. However, she also noticed that while Hina was there she was wholly exposed where she sat under the shower. The thought made Aya blush, and so she immediately covered her chest area with an arm and squeezed her legs close together.

Maybe being covered by that all that water wouldn’t be so bad.

“O-okay, just let me rinse off and I’ll um… join you.”

“Yay~”

Aya didn’t even know why she was like this, and why her heart was beating against her chest so fast. For one, they were both girls! It wasn’t like Hina had something she didn’t. And two, Hina didn’t seem at all fazed by this. In fact, her bandmate acted as she always did, without a care and any trace of awkwardness. So maybe this was just all in Aya’s head.

Right?

Determined not to make a fool of herself and risk Hina teasing her endlessly again, Aya rinsed off her conditioned hair and soapy body, and made her way to the tub. The tub wasn’t exactly designed for two people to use at the same time but Hina made room easily enough. By the time she was enveloped by water, Aya thought it silly that she was reluctant in the first place.

Only now, she was sitting with Hina behind her back and the girl’s two legs on either side.

“Ah, Aya-chan smells really good~ so this smell is from your conditioner!” Hina chirped happily and impossibly close to her neck that she could feel Hina’s excited puffs of breath. So close in fact that Aya felt the other girl’s breasts brush over her back.

It made her face explode in a fiercely red hue.

But not as much as when Hina unexpectedly hugs her.

“I really like this smell now, y’know~? Before I didn’t think it was very boppin’. What’s this scent again? Peach blossom? It’s not very strong but it’s Aya-chan’s scent and I love it now!”

“H-Hina-chan…” Aya stammered as she tried to focus on anything but the slick sensation of Hina’s body around hers, which was very hard to do when she could clearly see the other girl’s very white and very smooth thighs just on either side of her arms.

“Oh, Aya-chan has a little mole over here! How cute!”

Aya squeaked. She had forgotten that little blemish. She used to be really self-conscious about that tiny black spot just below the nape of her neck thinking that it looked like someone had poked her with a marker there. A few years ago, she even thought of covering it with a tiny piece of band-aid so that it wouldn’t be visible to anyone.

“Hina-chan, please don’t look at that!” She whined and squirmed, but with Hina’s arms securely wrapped around her tummy she really couldn’t go anywhere.

“Eh~? Why? I think it’s really zappin’!” Hina gave her a small squeeze as she giggled and nuzzled her nose into Aya’s back. “Not a lot of people have a mole squarely in the middle like that! It’s so funny and unique! I really like learning more and more about Aya-chan.”

Meanwhile, Aya had already covered her face with her hands in mortification. “I still don’t understand why you want to do that so much but please don’t try to learn _everything_. It’s embarrassing.”

“But I want to learn everything.” Hina responded in a surprisingly soft tone that was starkly different from her overzealous energy just moments earlier. “Aya-chan has taught me so many things already, things that I can’t quite describe other that they’re really boppin’! They’re very _runn_ and zappin’ and _babam!_ And I can’t get enough. I want to learn more and more and more and I know I’ll never run out of things to know from you and that… that’s exciting! I really like you Aya-chan!”

“Hina-chan…”

Hina liked her? Really _liked_ her? Wait a second, what did Hina even mean by stuff she learned from her when she hasn’t really taught her anything? Aya thought that she should feel differently about this, like she was some sort of guinea pig for Hina’s weird sense of humor and other oddities. But Hina sounded sincere, and her words were heartfelt.

And that made Aya feel warm and—

“Ah, it looks like Aya-chan grew a bit here too.”

Any thoughts of revelation were thrown out the window when Hina’s hands climbed up to cup her chest as if testing for both their size and weight.

“Hyah!!!”

* * *

 

“Aww, are you still mad?”

“Yes, I am.” Aya crossed her arms and allowed her irritation be known. Their serene moment had turned into a noisy splash fight in the tub that had all but drowned the whole bathroom in a flood of hot water and suds. Not too long afterwards, her mom knocked on the bathroom door informing them that their change of clothes were just outside the door and that cups of hot milk were heated for them when they were done.

Thankfully, her mom just assumed that the heat from the bath was the reason why her face couldn’t quite get her raging blush to recede.

With warm drinks and food in their bellies, the two of them spent some time with Aya’s little sister, who surprisingly took a quick liking to Hina. In fact, Aya thought that they had an uncanny connection from the start because they both talked in a weird language and expressed themselves with weird sounds. But then, Aya’s sister just turned ten years old not too long ago and was in a phase where she tried to have interests that were completely different from her elder sister’s. Hina effortlessly inserted herself in the young girl’s interests with her quick wit and amazing wealth of knowledge, resulting in a blindingly fast friendship between the two.

And to think Hina once voiced that she always had a hard time getting along with people.

Since the rain simply refused to let up, Aya’s mother had offered that Hina should stay the night which was unsurprising really. Her mom always liked visitors and relished the chance to entertain guests. So Hina called home without missing a beat. She probably got in a bit of trouble with her twin given the quite audible scolding that Aya overheard from the conversation, but in the end Hina was allowed to stay.

And so, here they were in her bedroom getting ready for bed.

“But they just happened to be within reach~” Hina pouted and childishly patted the loaned pillow on her lap.

“Hina-chan, you just don’t do that so suddenly with other girls! It’s rude.” Aya huffed as she combed her wavy hair at her small vanity.

From her vantage point in front of the mirror, she saw the mint-haired girl’s lips purse even more. “Fine~” She resigned and contented herself to hugging her pillow and commandeering one of Aya’s many plush toys. “I’m sorry then, Aya-chan.”

“You are?” That had Aya blinking in confusion. She certainly didn’t expect Hina to suddenly apologize like that. In fact, she could swear that she has only heard Hina apologize a handful of times for her unexpected behavior.

“Yeah, so don’t be mad anymore?”

Aya placed her brush down and watched Hina fidget where she sat on a futon, looking like an innocent kitten. Sighing, she turned to face her friend. “Hina-chan… I’m not really mad but you’re really not supposed to do that, okay?”

“I understand, I think. There are just times when I can’t help but touch you. Like I said, I really really like you, Aya-chan.”

There it was again, those words that made her heart flutter despite her exasperation.

But it couldn’t be the kind of like that Aya was thinking, could it?

She took a moment to mull over Hina’s words but she still came out of it with uncertainty. It wasn’t because she didn’t believe that Hina liked her. What had Aya stumped was the nature of Hina’s affections. Hina was a sweet girl and she wasn’t shy about sharing her thoughts and feelings with others. However, Aya couldn’t help but wonder if Hina liked her as a simple friend or as something more. And if so, how did she feel about that?

Hina’s expectant gaze drew Aya away from her thoughts. “I like you too, Hina-chan,” she said truthfully, because no matter what, she did like Hina as a person. “And I also understand why you want to be so close to someone you like. I mean, I like everyone in Pastel*Palettes so if I can spend more time with everyone, I would. So, you don’t have to worry about me disliking or hating you, Hina-chan. That will never happen.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Hina grinned at that and immediately hopped to her feet. She moved so fast that Aya instinctively braced herself for impact, whether for a loud exclamation or an unexpected hug. Nothing came. So, Aya dared to open her eyes, relax, and see what her friend was up to. She watched as Hina rummaged through her small backpack, the one where she kept her personals and brought everywhere.

“Hina-chan?”

“I suddenly remembered why I followed you, Aya-chan,” the other girl cheerfully said before quickly skipping towards her holding a tiny phial in her hand. “I wanted to give you this.”

Aya examined the tiny bottle. It was a small brown-tinted thing without any labels. “What is it?”

“Aroma oil,” Hina smiled brightly. “I enjoy making these and combining different smells together. When I made this one, it reminded me so much of you, Aya-chan that I thought I’d give you some.”

The thoughtful gesture touched Aya. “Aww, thank you, Hina-chan! But I don’t think we have a—what did you call it before?—a diffuser?”

Hina shook her head, “You don’t need one for this.” She opened the bottle and tipped the small opening onto one of her fingers. “I made it skin safe so you can just apply it on yourself.”

“Oh, that’s neat. So it’s like perfume?”

“Mhmm! Ne, close your eyes Aya-chan!”

“O-okay…” As soon as she lower her eyelids, the scent from Hina’s concoction invaded her senses. Her friend had used aroma oils before with their other band members, usually when they were practicing. She would bring a portable diffuser in the studio, so everyone could enjoy the energizing smells of citrus or peppermint or freshly clipped grass during long and trying sessions of rehearsals. But this one smelled like nothing Aya had ever experienced. There was a relaxing freshness to the aroma, like a flowering forest during a clear spring day, yet there was also something warm and intimate it in, an earthy spice that attracted her like a moth to a candle.

The scent grew stronger as she sensed Hina’s oiled finger rub circles upon her wrists. “Can you tell the smell, Aya-chan?” There was a playful smile in the other girl’s voice.

The oil’s aroma enveloped her even more when Hina applied a small amount of it on her neck just under her earlobe. It smelled so nice that she couldn’t help but lean her cheek onto the guitarist’s calloused hand.

“Um, there’s definitely something floral. Mmm~ it smells wonderful, Hina-chan.”

Hina chuckled and moved her hand to stroke Aya’s cheek. “That’s right! Because of your pink hair, I thought I should play with sakura-scented oils at first but it isn’t quite as boppin’ as Aya-chan. So I used ylang-ylang instead.”

“Ylang-ylang? I’ve never heard of that before.”

“It’s a tree that grows primarily in Southeast Asia so there’s not a lot of it here in Japan so I’m not surprised that you don’t know it.” Hina’s face must be really close to Aya’s for her to feel the warmth of her friend’s breath on her cheek. The proximity between them had her blushing again. “And it’s not the prettiest flower either. Its petals look really messy sometimes and its flowers kinda droop down like weird curly yellow spaghetti. But! It smells boppin’, doesn’t it?”

“Yes… yes, it does.”

“The name ylang-ylang also means ‘the flower of flowers’, you know? When I learned that, I immediately thought of you.”

Aya opened her eyes and upon seeing Hina’s face so close to her own, her breath caught in her throat. Hina wore an expression she had never seen before; focused but her gaze was soft. She wasn’t fully smiling either but she looked happy, serene… loving.

Aya swallowed thickly and held onto Hina’s forearms. “W-why me?”

“Because Aya-chan is Aya-chan,” the other girl’s smile widened. “Aya-chan may not be talented, she might make a lot of mistakes sometimes, and she would even bite her own tongue during MCs. But Aya-chan is unforgettable. Polaris isn’t the brightest or the biggest star in the sky but it’s the one star you don’t forget. Likewise, the ylang-ylang isn’t the prettiest, but its scent is the most boppin’. A flower of flowers.”

“Hina-chan…” Aya sniffled, wholly touched by Hina’s words. “You’re so sweet…” She had never heard anyone say things about her quite like that, ever. In fact, she never ever considered herself to be anyone special even though she believed that maybe, if she worked hard enough, she would inspire a handful of young girls like her to chase their dreams. But to be compared to such wonderful things, celestial or otherwise, made tears well up.

“Eh? Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong again?”

“No, dummy!” Embarrassed at her utter lack of control over her tear ducts, Aya launched herself at Hina, hugging her neck and hiding her face on the guitarist’s shoulder. “Nobody’s ever said such sweet things to me before. In fact, who even says such things nowadays!”

Laughter bubbled out from Hina’s throat as she hugged Aya back, “So I did say something wrong! Aww, I’m sorry, Aya-chan.”

“No, you didn’t!” Aya sobbed pathetically, clinging onto Hina’s pajama shirt. “It’s just embarrassing and touching and I don’t even know how to feel right now!”

Hina only nuzzled her neck and hugged her tighter. “That so weird,” she murmured, “Usually it’s me who doesn’t know feelings, but right now it’s so clear and I don’t even have to question myself.”

“W-what do you mean?” Aya barely extracted herself before she yelped aloud because Hina had so effortlessly lifted her up from her vanity’s stool and carried her onto her bed, where she deposited her on a pile of pillows and plushies. She could only watch in awe while Hina smiled brightly down at her, her heart beating so fast she thought it would burst.

“Haven’t I been saying it all day, Aya-chan? You really are so weird.” The green-eyed girl giggled before leaning down and kissing the tip of her nose. “I like you. I really really like you, Aya-chan. Most of the time I don’t know what I’m feeling and if what I’m feeling is right at that moment. Most of time, I’m unsure if what I’m thinking is appropriate or not. Onee-chan scolds me a lot about that so I try not to just blurt things out now but, you know me, that’s really hard to do! But this feeling right now? Nothing about it feels wrong. Nothing. And it makes me so happy, I can’t boppin’ explain it!”

Aya was stunned at the realization that Hina did feel that way and felt so strongly about it. What was even more surprising was how happily her heart was fluttering in her chest upon learning Hina’s feelings. She never imagined that bliss could hit so hard and that it could make her cry even more than she already was.

“Hina-chan!”

“Ah! You’re crying again. What did I do this time?”

Aya could no longer help herself. She pulled Hina down and locked her there with her arms, uncaring of the other girl’s weight on top of her. She squeaked pathetically after an awkward sobbing hiccup, “I… l-like you too.”

“Haha! Yeah, you told me earlier.”

“No! I mean, I _like_ you too, Hina-chan.”

“I know, we’ve established that, right?”

Aya sighed, but she was so blissful that she let Hina’s cluelessness slide. Blushing, she turned her head and kissed Hina’s cheek before burying her nose into the other girl’s neck in mortification. She’s never kissed anyone outside of her family before, even as innocuous as a kiss on the cheek so this was a little overwhelming. So when Hina suddenly stiffened at the show of affection, Aya quickly wondered if she had moved too quickly.

The moment of stillness only lasted for three seconds.

“Aya-chan, daisuki~!”

The rest of their waking hours that night was spent talking about each other and the sheer newness of what they have now.

Their whispered giggles interrupted only by Hina being unable to restrain herself from peppering Aya’s face with kisses like an excitable puppy.

But it seemed like even Hina loses energy at some point, and at about 3 AM, she contentedly curled up next to Aya and hugged her loosely in her sleep. The futon on the floor was forgotten, but Aya would definitely not forget the scent of rain wafting from the small crack of her open window, and the sweet smell of ylang-ylang the blanketed them.

**Author's Note:**

> There was an omake planned for this fic that included Hina fitting right in with the Maruyamas but maybe I'll keep that to myself for now.


End file.
